American International Journal of Social Science

Adolescent Body Image in the United States & Guyana: A Socio-cultural Comparison
Winetta A. Oloo, Ph.D., LMFT; Isa A. Ribadu, Ph.D., LMFT; Nichola Ribadu, DMFT, LMFT

Abstract
Studies conducted in developing countries and the United States has contributed significantly to our knowledge of body image in adolescents within different cultures. However, comparisons of adolescent body image between developing countries and Westernized countries through the use of the same standardized measure have been lacking. This study attempts to address this limitation by comparing body image ratings within two groups of adolescents; one from the United States and the other from Guyana, a third-world, developing country in South America through examination of scores on the body image subscale of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire. Contrary to expectation, body image ratings were lower for older adolescents than younger adolescents in both countries. Education of both parents was a significant predictor of adolescent body image in the USA while education of mothers had an effect in Guyana. Gender and race/ethnicity also had contrasting results between the two countries. Further study is indicated.

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